Friday 6 September 2013 11.06 EDT
First published on Friday 6 September 2013 11.06 EDT

Modan won the 2008 Eisner award for her first graphic novel, Exit Wounds, which set a family mystery against a backdrop of violence in Israel. Her second full-length work, translated by Jessica Cohen, explores similar themes in a calmer setting, as Regina Segal and her granddaughter Mica fly from Tel Aviv to Warsaw to reclaim the property their family owned before the second world war. But Regina has other things on her mind, and Mica – distracted by an annoying acquaintance, a hot local tour guide and her own lack of Polish – finds that things are not what they seem. Modan got actors to perform scenes before drawing the results in her Hergé-style ligne claire, and while the resulting art isn't always elegant, there's a great deal of pleasure to be had in her shifting panels, which have a keen eye for the quirks of normal life: fumbling conversations, awkward pauses and unflattering poses. The gentle pace means you can relax into Modan's characters, and the matt colour scheme is lovely, as romance, reminiscence and mild skulduggery ensue. It lacks intensity, but TheProperty is a nuanced and warm-hearted piece of work.